Authentic Communication: Christian Speech Engaging Culture
Ebook
Overview
A Christian Approach for Communicating with Your Neighbor
Every day we give and receive communication. But good communication doesn’t always come naturally. Strengthening our skills is vital not only for those who specialize in communication but for everyone who wants to have healthy relationships, love our neighbors, and shape the world around us for good.
In Authentic Communication, educators Tim Muehlhoff and Todd Lewis offer a wealth of resources from both communication studies and the Bible. This textbook unpacks the essential elements of communication and applies them to common challenges, offering a unique look at biblical principles of communication such as loving our enemies and blessing those who insult us.
You’ll find wisdom to address questions like:
- How can we overcome our natural biases and take someone else’s perspective?
- When are persuasion tactics ethical—and when aren’t they?
- What does healthy forgiveness look like?
- How should Christians offer alternative views to the dominant voices in society?
- Is constructive dialogue practical in a culture of argument?
What’s new in the second edition:
- a new chapter on perspective taking in light of disagreement,
- a new chapter on communication in estranged relationships,
- an updated recommended resources section, and
- updated research and sources based on the past fifteen years of fresh scholarship in communication studies.
This book lays a foundation for engaging people who hold different views, seeking to open pathways for communication. Embrace the invitation to communicate well as a Christian with Authentic Communication.
Series Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part 1: Understanding the Components of Communication
1. The Power of Human Communication
2. Perspective Taking: Engaging the Views of Others
3. What Good Is Perspective Taking if No One Changes Their Perspective?
4. Words! Words! Words! We Can Only Imagine
5. Persuasion: Spiritual Power or Manipulation and Rhetorical Tricks?
Part 2: Applying Communication
6. Before the Sun Sets: Conflict and Christian Unity
7. Communicating Forgiveness
8. Communicating about and Evaluating the Messages of Popular Culture
9. Resident Aliens: Christians as Counterpublics
10. Postmodern Times and Christian Counterpublics (Part 1)
11. Postmodern Times and Christian Counterpublics (Part 2)
12. Abnormal Communication: A Christian Response to the Argument Culture
13. Estrangement: Communicating Across the Chasms
14. Social Justice: Speaking for the Marginalized
Recommended Reading: Annotated Bibliography
Final Thoughts
Index
"In this second edition of Authentic Communication, Tim Muehlhoff and Todd Lewis offer a primer for both Christians and non-Christians striving to connect well in our interpersonally fractured cultural moment. They want us to do more than consider the exchange of words between humans. Instead, we’re challenged to reflect on the theological, social, and cultural ramifications every communication event produces. Civil discourse requires empathy, and Muehlhoff and Lewis teach us what biblically-grounded empathy should look like."
Ed Uszynski, speaker, Bible teacher, and author of Untangling Critical Race Theory
"Christians desperately need books like this one. Tim Muehlhoff and Todd Lewis equip readers to engage in Christ-animated learning by setting forth communication competencies that encourage both biblical convictions and care for others. Their accessible offering integrates both theological foundations and practical insights from contemporary communication studies to provide a thoughtful approach suitable for any Christian seeking to model what it means to communicate with convicted civility.
Perry L. Glanzer, professor of educational foundations at Baylor University and author of The Outrageous Idea of Christian Teaching
"Drawing on lifetimes of expertise and insights from psychology, philosophy, rhetorical theory, and Scripture, Tim Muehlhoff and Todd Lewis have given us a wise and practical introduction to the communication issues that affect us all. I especially appreciated their sensitive analysis of how Christians should seek to share the gospel with a postmodern audience. In an era of polarizing sound bites, this readable, compassionate, and intellectually solid book is a breath of fresh air."
Julia D. Hejduk, Reverend Jacob Beverly Stiteler Professor of Classics at Baylor University
"Authentic Communication offers a rare and needed bridge between secular communication theory and Christian theology. Grounded in both scholarship and faith, the book reframes communication as a spiritual calling rooted in empathy and relational understanding rather than argument or persuasion alone. Through concrete chapters on conflict, forgiveness, social justice, and postmodernism, the authors move seamlessly from theory to practice, showing how Christian communicators can engage culture thoughtfully and compassionately while embodying Christlike character in every interaction."
Charles W. Choi, associate professor of communication at Seaver College of Liberal Arts at Pepperdine University
"Today’s media environment encourages social isolation. Harsh, reductive words can become barriers to real human connection. The authors of Authentic Communication show us a better path, helping us communicate lovingly in Christ, the living Word."
Katie Kresser, professor of art history at Seattle Pacific University and author of Church Beautiful
"This is an essential book for followers of Jesus. While it would be easy to assume that everyone knows how to communicate, the world around us proves that’s not the case. Communication is a learned skill—one that consistently ranks among the top abilities employers seek and is vital for any meaningful relationship. As Christians, we are called to demonstrate our faith in Jesus in all that we do and all that we say. This book provides practical guidance in how to do that well! Tim Muehlhoff and Todd Lewis offer an outstanding combination of faith-in-action and rich communication theory, accessible for readers at any stage of life."
Arianna Molloy, professor and author of Healthy Calling: From Toxic Burnout to Sustainable Work
"In Authentic Communication, Tim Muehlhoff and Todd Lewis initiate a conversation between communication theory and Scripture, directing each towards the other in ways that provide fresh insight into both. Scriptural examples are used to illustrate concepts across an array of communication theories, and theory concepts are applied to issues in twenty-first century practical Christian living. While the book is targeted towards students in Christian colleges, it has application to a broader range of readers in the never-ending task of ‘loving one’s neighbor as themselves’ in a rapidly realigning culture."
David C. Klope, associate professor of communication at Mount Mercy University
- Title: Authentic Communication: Christian Speech Engaging Culture
- Authors: Timothy Muehlhoff, Todd Lewis
- Series: Christian Worldview Integration Series
- Publisher: IVP Academic
- Print Publication Date: 2026
- Logos Release Date: 2025
- Pages: 256
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781514016091, 9781514016084, 1514016087, 1514016095
- Resource ID: LLS:9781514016091
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2026-03-23T08:57:21Z